ATA

Hi

Can someone please explain what ATA is and the benefits?

Have looked around the net but still cant grasp it

Cheers

Sacred wrote:
> Hi
>
> Can someone please explain what ATA is and the benefits?
>
> Have looked around the net but still cant grasp it

ATA stands for Analogue Telephone Adaptor. It is a box that connects
typically to a Ethernet network at one end and a normal PSTN telephone
handset at the other. It allows you to use the PSTN handset with a VoIP
service. The benefits /disadvantages are subjective but generally
speaking most people use them because:

1. You don't need to use a softphone and thus don't need a PC switched
on the make and receive calls.
2. People are already familiar with using a PSTN handset.
3. It negates the problem typically associated with using a headset or
mic and speakers.

HTH

Regards

Jon

Sacred wrote:

> Hi
>
> Can someone please explain what ATA is and the benefits?
>
> Have looked around the net but still cant grasp it
>
> Cheers

ATA stands for Analogue Telephone Adapter.

I have just fitted one (Sipura SPA1001) and it fits between the router
(in my case) and house phone - and enables you to use you house
phone(s) -fixed or DECT - to make and take SIP (Internet) based phone
calls without the need for the computer to be running.
The computer interface for the Sipura ATA offers a wealth of
information about last call in and out etc etc etc and offers a
voicemail system too.
It seems to offer the option for unique rings for different incoming
calls - but I have yet to get to grips with this - and it can deal with
2 seperate phone numbers should you wish for more than 1.

With a SIPGATE account and using the ATA, the effect is simply a change
of number to be notified to people outside the hosue. Sipgate offer a
geographical phone number.

I only have experience of Sipgate to go with my ATA - others will no
doubt tell you much more than i can about other options.

I have only had mine for 24 hours - I needed some assistance from this
group to get it set up - but people were very helpful and it works just
fine on the SIPGATE system.

My wife (the real judge in these matters) couldn't tell the call
quality apart form the (normal) NTL landline.

With the knowledge that VOIP services do not offer a 999 facility yet,
you should only rely on VOIP as your main house phone system IF you
have an alternative - I sahll rely on the mobile phones for 999 and
once I have full confidence in Sipgate, NTL will be disconnected.

Thanks to all who have been of assistance to me in the last couple of
day - it's nice to be able offer some experience for a change.

Mick

--

Mick wrote:

> With the knowledge that VOIP services do not offer a 999 facility yet,
> you should only rely on VOIP as your main house phone system IF you
> have an alternative - I sahll rely on the mobile phones for 999 and
> once I have full confidence in Sipgate, NTL will be disconnected.

The are some UK VoIP services that can offer UK emergency 999/112 services.

Regards

Jon

Thus spaketh Mick:
> Sacred wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> Can someone please explain what ATA is and the benefits?
>>
>> Have looked around the net but still cant grasp it
>>
>> Cheers
>
> ATA stands for Analogue Telephone Adapter.
>
> I have just fitted one (Sipura SPA1001) and it fits between the router
> (in my case) and house phone - and enables you to use you house
> phone(s) -fixed or DECT - to make and take SIP (Internet) based phone
> calls without the need for the computer to be running.
> The computer interface for the Sipura ATA offers a wealth of
> information about last call in and out etc etc etc and offers a
> voicemail system too.
> It seems to offer the option for unique rings for different incoming
> calls - but I have yet to get to grips with this - and it can deal
> with 2 seperate phone numbers should you wish for more than 1.
>
> With a SIPGATE account and using the ATA, the effect is simply a
> change of number to be notified to people outside the hosue. Sipgate
> offer a geographical phone number.
>
> I only have experience of Sipgate to go with my ATA - others will no
> doubt tell you much more than i can about other options.
>
> I have only had mine for 24 hours - I needed some assistance from this
> group to get it set up - but people were very helpful and it works
> just fine on the SIPGATE system.
>
> My wife (the real judge in these matters) couldn't tell the call
> quality apart form the (normal) NTL landline.
>
> With the knowledge that VOIP services do not offer a 999 facility yet,
> you should only rely on VOIP as your main house phone system IF you
> have an alternative - I sahll rely on the mobile phones for 999 and
> once I have full confidence in Sipgate, NTL will be disconnected.
>
> Thanks to all who have been of assistance to me in the last couple of
> day - it's nice to be able offer some experience for a change.
>
> Mick


In the Distinctive Ring Settings of the user settings you enter the
phone numbers of the calls you want to ring with the different patterns.

Mick wrote:
> Sacred wrote:
>
> > Hi
> >
> > Can someone please explain what ATA is and the benefits?
> >
> > Have looked around the net but still cant grasp it
> >
> > Cheers
>
> ATA stands for Analogue Telephone Adapter.
>
> I have just fitted one (Sipura SPA1001) and it fits between the router
> (in my case) and house phone - and enables you to use you house
> phone(s) -fixed or DECT - to make and take SIP (Internet) based phone
> calls without the need for the computer to be running.
> The computer interface for the Sipura ATA offers a wealth of
> information about last call in and out etc etc etc and offers a
> voicemail system too.

what follows is an adaptation of something I posted this morning....

If you want to incorporate your landline and voip in one normal/DECT
handset,
the Spa3000 or 3012 would be ideal. This means that you can dial out by
either voip OR landline from the same phone. This is done automatically
according to how you've configured your ATA.

If you want a separate phone just for voip, you could get a cheaper
adaptor like spa1001, etc. With these adaptors you plug them into your
router.

If you're just using an ADSL/cable modem, you'll have to buy a router.,

in which case you might want to consider a voip capable router. There
are lots on the market. Linksys, Thomson and AVMFritz!Box are some
manufacturers to look at.

"Jon Farmer" <jon@nope.com> wrote in message
news:44eb82e1.0@entanet
> Mick wrote:
>
> > With the knowledge that VOIP services do not offer a
> > 999 facility yet, you should only rely on VOIP as your
> > main house phone system IF you have an alternative - I
> > sahll rely on the mobile phones for 999 and once I have
> > full confidence in Sipgate, NTL will be disconnected.
>
> The are some UK VoIP services that can offer UK emergency
> 999/112 services.

But Sipgate, which the OP is using, is not one of them (yet).

Even so, it's wise not to rely on them, given the (current) level of
reliablity, knowing that if the power fails then you'll lose service
anyway unless you have a UPS. Better IMHO to keep a mobile on and
charged..

Ivor

Ivor Jones wrote:

>>>With the knowledge that VOIP services do not offer a
>>>999 facility yet, you should only rely on VOIP as your
>>>main house phone system IF you have an alternative - I
>>>sahll rely on the mobile phones for 999 and once I have
>>>full confidence in Sipgate, NTL will be disconnected.
>>
>>The are some UK VoIP services that can offer UK emergency
>>999/112 services.
>
>
> But Sipgate, which the OP is using, is not one of them (yet).

I was not disputing this. I was pointing out that some providers do. The
OP seemed to state to the contrary.

> Even so, it's wise not to rely on them, given the (current) level of
> reliablity, knowing that if the power fails then you'll lose service
> anyway unless you have a UPS. Better IMHO to keep a mobile on and
> charged..

Agreed. Although I don't think I would trust a mobile these days.
Witness what happend on July 7 last year, a major incident occurs and
you can't make any mobile calls in the local area.

Regards

Jon


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